r/Kurosawa

[SOURCE](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/japan.php)

“Andrei Tarkovsky was sitting in the corner of the screening room watching Solaris with me, but he got up as soon as the film was over and looked at me with a shy smile. I said to him, ‘It’s very good. It’s a frightening movie.’ He seemed embarrassed but smiled happily. Then the two of us went to a film union restaurant and toasted with vodka. Tarkovsky, who does not usually drink, got completely drunk and cut off the speakers at the restaurant, then began singing the theme of Seven Samurai at the top of his voice. I joined in, eager to keep up. At that moment, I was very happy to be on Earth.”

Akira Kurosawa met Richard Gere for the first time at a New York Party which was for "Ran" (1985). After that, they ran into each other on several other occasions. When Kurosawa met Gere during a party celebrating Kurosawa's Oscar & his birthday, Kurosawa asked Gere if he was interested in appearing in "Rhapsody in August" (1991).

Gere was overjoyed by the proposal and agreed instantly. In their conversations, Kurosawa was impressed with Gere's knowledge of the Sutras & his interest in Asia and Lamaism. He thought his knowledge was better than some of the Japanese.

At that time, Richard Gere was at the peak of his popularity, just coming out of the huge success of "Pretty Woman" (1990). He was earning several million dollars per movie. Mike Inoue, the Co-producer of "Rhapsody in August" (1991) told Gere that they couldn't afford to pay that kind of money. Right away, Gere said, "I will work free for Kurosawa".

Inoue didn't want to take advantage of Gere's kindness. So, he offered him a minor sum of money & agreed to pay the expenses for the friends he wanted to bring with him to Japan. Cindy Crawford was one of the friends he brought to Japan.

Gere later said of his experience in Japan with Kurosawa,

"'Rhapsody in August' (1991) turned out to be a short, wonderful experience working with one of the greatest masters of our time"

("The Emperor and the Wolf", Stuart Galbraith IV, 2002)

Seven Samurai is honestly the greatest movies ever made and personally my favorite movie of all time like i already say. I’ve watched it seven times already and every single time it feels emotional, powerful and alive in a completely different way. No matter how long the movie is, I never get bored watching it because there’s always something new to notice in the characters, the atmosphere, the dialogue, the rain, the villages or even the silence between scenes.

What makes Seven Samurai so special to me is that it doesn’t feel like a movie trying to entertain you with nonstop action. It feels real. The film takes its time showing hunger, fear, exhaustion, social class differences and the reality of survival during that era of Japan. The villagers are terrified, selfish at times and desperate because they know they will die if nobody helps them. The samurai themselves are not portrayed as invincible heroes either or actually trying to help them. Most of them are poor, wandering warriors with no real purpose left in life including Kikuchiyo which he try to became a real samurai while he is a farmer and at the end he became a real samurai but dying in the process after killing the antagonist.

That realism is one of the reasons why Seven Samurai feels so different not only from Hollywood adaptations, but even from many samurai films themselves.

Akira Kurosawa created something much deeper than just “samurai protecting a village”. The movie becomes a study of humanity, the character development, class conflict, sacrifice and the end of an era, identity. Kambei represents wisdom and sacrifice, but also sadness because he understands the samurai age is slowly disappearing. Kyuzo represents discipline and perfection, almost like the ideal samurai spirit. Kikuchiyo is probably one of the greatest characters ever written because he stands between both worlds: the peasants and the samurai. He understands the hypocrisy, pain and suffering of both sides. Katsushiro represents youth and innocence while learning what being a samurai truly means. Every member of the group brings a different emotional layer into the story.

That’s why I honestly believe the concept of Seven Samurai only truly works in this movie.

Hollywood and other media have adapted its structure many times. We have The Magnificent Seven, both the 1960 and 2016 versions, and even Star Wars series like The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian taking inspiration from it. But most adaptations misunderstand what actually made Seven Samurai legendary.

The movie is not famous just because “seven warriors defend villagers from bandits” and being the first modern film of all time. If that was the only reason, then every adaptation would feel equally powerful. What makes Seven Samurai unforgettable is the emotional journey of the samurai themselves and the realistic way Kurosawa portrays humanity. The villagers are not perfect innocent people, and the samurai are not mythological superheroes. Everyone feels human, flawed and vulnerable.

Even compared to other Akira Kurosawa movies, Seven Samurai feels unique because it perfectly balances philosophy, action, emotion, realism and character development all at once. Movies like Yojimbo, Ran, Kagemusha or Throne of Blood are masterpieces too, but Seven Samurai feels like the complete representation of everything Kurosawa understood about humanity and cinema. It mixes historical realism with emotional storytelling in a way that still feels modern today.

And honestly, that’s also why the movie influenced not only samurai cinema, but filmmaking in general and everyone from around the world. The way teams are assembled in movies, the character archetypes, battle preparation scenes and emotional group dynamics all trace back to Seven Samurai in some way. But despite all those influences and adaptations, none of them fully capture the soul of the original movie.

Because Seven Samurai is not just about battle.

It’s about people trying to find meaning, honor and purpose in a world that is already moving on without them.

I just wanted to share that Kurosawa’s last film is now available on Blu-ray from Imprint with English subtitles and preorders just started.

Drawing inspired by Throne of Blood.